Attendance 26,708
The scheduling of this fixture has been heavily
criticised by many within the game, but there would
have many positives for Walter Smith to take from the
game, including the performances in midfield of Darren
Fletcher, Paul Hartley, Nigel Quashie and substitute
Jamie McFadden.
A healthy number of ‘Stars and Stripes’ fluttered in
the Hampden swirl as the strains of the “Star Spangled
Banner” resounded around the Mount Florida arena as
Scotland hosted opponents ranked seventh in the global
game.
The visitors dominated from the opening seconds, with
Steve Cherundolo seeing his 25-yard free-kick held by
Craig Gordon in the fifth minute.
The opening goal was delayed a mere two minutes
however – Christian Dailly conceding a penalty when he
clearly fouled DaMarcus Beasley in the box. Joshua
Wolff converted the spot-kick, and the Scots were
right up against it.
Dailly might have considered himself fortunate to
remain on the park – had this been a competitive
fixture he would surely have been red-carded.
The Americans were far and away the superior outfit –
Gordon keeping the margin to just one goal in fifteen
minutes when he touched wide a Gregg Berhalter
twenty-yard free-kick.
Scotland had barely ventured across the halfway line
in the first half-hour, yet the scores were levelled
in 36 minutes when Andy Webster headed home a Graham
Alexander cross.
Suddenly the home side were back in the game – and
three minutes later Garry O’Connor headed just over
from a Neil McCann cross.
The USA were far from out of it however – Wolff
rifling a shot inches wide from a Brian Ching cutback
in 42 minutes.
The second-half would prove to be a much more even
contest, amidst a plethora of substitutions – one of
whom, Gary Caldwell, saw his twenty-yard shot from
Hartley’s pass flashing just over in 80 minutes.
Seven minutes later Jonathon Spector tested Gordon
with a twenty-yard shot that the Hearts goalkeeper
beat out.
Scotland almost snatched it – undeservedly – at the
death when Scott Brown found the net from a McFadden
pass only for the goal to be disallowed for offside.
Walter Smith reflected afterwards:
“We started slowly – the USA were better in the first
twenty minutes, but we finished the first-half
strongly. The USA were athletic with a tremendous work
ethic. We had to work hard to get back into the game.”
53 years ago, Scotland thrashed the USA 6-0 at
Hampden. Today the Scots ended a nightmare run of
seven consecutive defeats in friendlies at the Mount
Florida ground, but remain without a win in such a
fixture for all of nine years. How times have changed.
SCOTLAND Gordon (Hearts); Dailly (West Ham United),
Alexander (Preston North End); Pressley (Hearts) [G.
Caldwell (Hibernian) 45], Webster (Hearts), Weir
(Everton) [S. Caldwell (Sunderland 45)]; Fletcher
(Manchester United), Hartley (Hearts), O’Connor
(Hibernian) [Maloney (Celtic) 73)], Quashie
(Southampton) [Brown (Hibernian) 73], McCann
(Southampton) [McFadden (Everton) 68)]
UNUSED SUBS Douglas (Leicester City), Anderson
(Aberdeen), Smith (Aberdeen), Riordan (Hibernian),
Esson (Aberdeen), Murray (Rangers)
USA Keller (Borussia Monchengladbach); Cherundolo
(Hanover), Berhalter (Energie Cottbus), Bocanegra
(Fulham) [Conrad (Kansas City Wizards) 79], Spector
(Charlton Athletic); Beasley (PSV Eindhoven) [Pearce
(Norjaelland) 76], Carroll (DC United), Zavagnin
(Kansas City Wizards) [Quaranta (Dc United) 45], Gaven
(Metro Stars) [Olsen (DC United) 45]; Ching (San Jose
Earthquakes), Wolff (Kansas City Wizards) [Rolfe
(Chicago Fire) 57]
UNUSED SUBS Howard (Manchester United), Feilhaber
(Hamburg),
REFEREE Alberto Undiano Mallenco (Spain)